


Are You Sleeping, Child Dick?

by RhymeReason



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Comfort, Lullabies, Nightmares, Other, Singing, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-05
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-11 22:44:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5644576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RhymeReason/pseuds/RhymeReason
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dick wakes up from a nightmare and goes to Bruce for comfort</p>
            </blockquote>





	Are You Sleeping, Child Dick?

**Author's Note:**

> I got this idea from a Justice League episode and I suddenly spent way too long and stayed up way too late writing this lol oops   
> Its just really fluffy okay???

“Bruce?”

It was late at night, nearing on three am and Bruce was working,working out blueprints for

new gadgets to use on his patrols. He looked up from his work at his name.

Young Dick Grayson stood in front of him, clutching a small stuffed robin against

his chest. He wore footie pyjamas with tiny bats on them, something that Alfred had picked  for him,probably to make Bruce either laugh or grimace. The boy rubbed at a spot on the ground with his foot and didn't look at the older man.

Bruce put down his pencil and sighed, rubbing at the stubble on his chin. “It's late, Dick. You should be in bed.”

“I was for a while.” The nine year old shrugged. 

“And why aren't you now?”

Dick didn't respond, still looking away from Bruce.

“Dick.” Bruce sighed. “Why aren't you asleep?”

“I had a bad dream.” The boy said quietly, looking down at the floor.

Bruce felt his heart stop, looking at the small boy that was his ward. He reminded Bruce so much of himself that it was painful but this was something that Bruce never did, that he never had the chance to do. Dick was asking for comfort and Bruce wouldn't dream of turning him away.  

Bruce didn't know how to comfort the child properly though, so he just said the first thing that came to mind. “You may sit with me while I work.”

Dick perked up slightly, looking at him with bright blue eyes. “Really?”

“Yes, I'm going to be up for an hour more and you may sit with me until I go to bed myself. Though be warned, I'm not going to be talking much. I need to finish these blueprints.” 

“Alright.” The boy said. He walked over and plopped himself onto Bruce's lap, leaning against his chest. 

Bruce froze, slowly turning his head to look at the boy now sitting on his lap. “Dick. What are you doing?”

“You said I could watch you work.” the boy said, as if that made it all clear.

“Yes but.. why are you on my lap?”

Dick shrugged. “I didn't want to go get a chair.”

Bruce sighed again. He was always sighing when Dick was around. Not wanting to fight with a stubborn nine year old, he just picked up his pencil and went back to work.

Ten minutes passed before Dick spoke again. He pointed at the part of the blueprint that Bruce had been redesigning for the past few minutes. It was a long stretch of wire that allowed the weapon to be easily pulled back from enemy grasp. Bruce couldn't figure out what metal alloys to make it out of when Dick said, “If you make it a titanium steel alloy, that will let it be thin and flexible enough to be wound up but still strong enough that it won't break. Then you would just have to worry about making sure that whatever it's connected to is strong enough. That's what we always use in the circus, except for one routine that Mom and Dad wont let me-” He stopped midsentence, taking in a full breath.  “Nevermind.” He said in a small voice.

Bruce sighed for the fourth time in the past 15 minutes and set down his pencil. HSe shifted himself and Dick so he could look him in the eyes. “Dick. Was your nightmare about your parents.”

Dick didn't look back at him and didn't respond. That was all the answer he needed. Bruce did something then that he hadn’t done in a very long time.

He initiated a hug.

He wrapped his arms around his young ward and almost cradled him against his chest. He felt it as Dick let out a shuddering sob against his chest. 

Bruce remembered faintly a time when he did something similar, sitting on his father’s lap after a nightmare. He father had held him and…………

Bruce took a large breath, knowing that this was going to be strange but continuing anyways.

“ _ Frere Jacques, Frere Jacques, _ ” He sang quietly, his voice a deep baritone. He felt Dick stiffen against him, probably out of shock before relaxing, his sobs quieting. 

“ _ Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous? _

_ Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines _

_ Ding dang dong, ding dang dong. _ ” Bruce finished. He rubbed the boy’s back and began again, this time with the english version. 

“ _ Are you sleeping, are you sleeping? _

_ Brother John, Brother John? _

_ Morning bells are ringing, morning bells are ringing _

_ Ding dang dong, ding dang dong.” _

Dicks breathing had evened out and Bruce found himself holding and exhausted nine year old who had felt so comforted by Bruce's singing that he fell asleep. It was a strange occurrence for the billionaire but…… not unwelcomed. 

He shifted slightly so they were more comfortable and soon found himself falling asleep soon after.

 

-x-

 

Alfred smiled wide when he came down into Bruce’s workroom the next morning. Master Dick was curled against Master Bruce’s chest, Bruce's arm wrapped around the young ward as if to ensure that he didn't fall off the chair. The chair itself was leaned back as far as it could go, both of the people sitting on it sound asleep. 

Alfred laughed quietly to himself. “I suppose I'll just delay breakfast until the two wake up. I doubt either of them would want me to see them like this.”

That didn't stop him from taking a picture though.


End file.
